My goal is to inform potential law school students and applicants of the ugly realities of attending law school. DO NOT ATTEND UNLESS: (1) YOU GET INTO A TOP 8 LAW SCHOOL ON SCHOLARSHIP; (2) YOU GET A FULL-TUITION SCHOLARSHIP TO ATTEND; (3) YOU HAVE EMPLOYMENT AS AN ATTORNEY SECURED THROUGH A RELATIVE OR CLOSE FRIEND; OR (4) YOU ARE FULLY AWARE BEFOREHAND THAT YOUR HUGE INVESTMENT IN TIME, ENERGY, AND MONEY DOES NOT, IN ANY WAY, GUARANTEE A JOB AS AN ATTORNEY OR IN THE LEGAL INDUSTRY.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Noxious Fourth Tier Waste Product: New England School of Law

Tuition: For the 2010-2011 academic year, full-time students at the New England Sewer of Law will be charged $39,910 in tuition; part-time students at this private law school will only pay $29,910 in tuition for this same school year.

Employment Prospects: Evidently, paying a shade under $40K per year in tuition does not permit one to view job placement or starting salary info. However, the Career Services Office at this dump has its own blogspot. This page displays the results of its 2010 Summer Employment Survey, which was based on 233 responses. The results purport to show that 93 percent of survey respondents were employed over the summer. Yeah, sure they were - and Salma Hayek is massaging my back with her bare breasts, as I write this entry.

For $ome rea$on, this survey fails to note how many of these were paid positions. It also neglects to mention what percentage of these students poured coffee and made photocopies. This questionnaire does not even break down employment by part-time positions versus full-time - or legal, as opposed to non-legal, positions. Why would such a “scientific survey” overlook such important factors?!?!

Average Student Indebtedness:According to US News, the average indebtedness of 2009 NESL grads who incurred law school debt was $106,632. Furthermore, this document shows that 85% of this toilet’s 2009 graduating class incurred law school debt.

Administrator and Faculty Salaries:For this info, we head to New England Sewer of Law’s 2009 Form 990. Go over to page 29 of this tax document. You will see that dean John F. O’Brien made $614,982 in TOTAL COMPENSATION - for 2008. He made $522,500 in base compensation; $51,432 in other compensation, $23,000 in deferred compensation; and $18,050 in non-taxable benefits. Apparently, you can be an administrator of a TTTT and make a financial killing - even though law review kids at the same TTTT are drowning in NON-DISCHARGEABLE debt with no feasible way to pay this off.

However, there are plenty of TTTT “law professors” who are also making out like bandits. From this same page, here is a list of faculty with their respective TOTAL COMPENSATION for 2008: Frank Scioli, $271,594; Judith Greenberg, $242,384; Susan Calamare, $217,047; Philip Hamilton, $224,609; Paul Teich, $213,070; Ronald Chester, $209,842; Gary Monserud, $204,800; and Curt Nyquist, $199,300.

The above salaries are unconscionable, in light of the following: (a) this school is a fourth tier sewage pit; (b) it is located in the same city as Harvard, Boston U. and Boston College; (c) the GROSS over-saturation of the U.S. legal job market; (d) the permanent trend toward legal outsourcing; (e) the prevalence of unemployed attorneys; (f) the average student indebtedness of $106,632 - for those who incurred law school debt to attend this dump; and (g) the simple fact that many of these JDs will land jobs where a law degree is not necessary.

Ooh! This sewer offers a “Center for Law and Social Responsibility.” Will this setting allow you to gain invaluable experience picking up litter from public parks? If so, then this will at least provide you with a glimpse into your future as a New England Sewer of Law grad. See how impressed potential employers will be when they see this on your resume.

Wow, you can write onto The New England Journal of Civil and Criminal Confinement. Next time you visit your favorite watering hole, tell your friends about this impressive credential. Yes, sit back and watch as scores of lovely young women trip over themselves to gain your attention.

Conclusion: This school is a putrid, vile piece of trash. If this is the best school you can get into, and you simply MUST be a lawyer, I suggest you re-take the LSAT. Otherwise, you will be a laughingstock among your friends and peers, i.e. you will likely be known as another attorney who lives in his mother’s basement.

If your family or friends are pushing/encouraging you to go to law school, remember that YOU will be the one stuck with the student loans. If you are seeking a law degree as some sort of affirmation that you are intelligent and/or hardworking, there are less expensive ways to get over your insecurity. This is an important life decision, and your student loan debt can haunt you for the rest of your life.

Lastly, the law schools DO NOT GIVE A DAMN about your financial well-being. These pigs are paid up front, in full. They simply want as many asses in seats as possible. You are the one who is left to pay for this decision for the next 25-30 years.

92 comments:

I think NESL is a TTTT, not a TTT. The only good thing I have to say about it is that the tuition is somewhat reasonable (at least when i was looking at law school). Other than that, it should be shut down along with the other craphole Mass. law schools, to wit: Suffolk, WNECL, and UMass School of Law(non-ABA approved). Keep Harvard, BC, BU and Northeastern. Get rid of the rest.

Excellent picture to use when discussing this school. As someone who has worked in meconium law (during the infant stages of my career) and fullblown shitlaw, I am somewhat of an expert when it comes to fecal material. From the fecal matter in this picture, I can tell you that it is human feces. The person who laid that pile of dung seems to have feasted on the surf and turf at Chateau LeBlanc. And you see, that is the problem with law schools today. No matter how much you dissect, slice and dice a JD from a TTT/TTTT, it is still shit, regardless of what name your school is. Chateau LeBlanc is just another fancy way to say White Castle. New Englad School of Law is just another fancy way to say shitty TTTT. At the prices these schools are charging, it is a shitty deal for the students. Kids, if you are a 1L, 2L or 3L at New England Law, you don't have to wait for shit to hit the fan, the shit is already on you.

When I graduated from law school in '02, my school (not NESL) charged $20,000 3L year). Now they charge $40,000 in 2010. This is tuition only. Not even 10 years and the tutition has doubled. Folks, there are going to be some unhappy campers graduating with this kind of debt. Even IF the economy was strong, these rates are still outrageous since the starting law salaries have not kept pace with tuition increases. Add the inherent instability of associates retaining their jobs over the long haul, and you have a recipe for disaster. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm screwed, but those soon-to-be graduates are REALLY screwed!

NESL is a rank piece of shit. In fact, in keeping with the tiered system, this school is lower than whale shit. I mean, Hah-vard charges not much more than this in yearly LS tuition. How can anyone even consider such a school? On second thought, whale shit is better. It doens't cost you $40K per year, and if some lands on you, it can be removed.

Nando, I am offended by the use of the turd photo. First off, the turd is solid. Are you implying that a JD diploma from NESL is solid? You could have used a picture of diarrhea to better depict this school. On second thought, diarrhea would connote fluidity and I doubt a JD from NESL is fluid.

OK, OK, the Colonel is here to weed thru all this stuff. First off, New England School o' law is a decrepit piece of shit. Is this thing even approved by the ABA?

The solution? Here is the Colonel's 5 point program: 1. Grab yerself a lovely family bucket of original or crispy chickens. 2. Then order some sides (e.g. cole slaw, mashed taters, maybe a good ol' Snacker). 3. Order a large Pepsi prodoct (Coca-Cola fans can suck my marblesack.). 4. Turn on the boob tube and let the TV wash over ya. and 5. Go into the restroom of your local Mickey D's (without orderin' enny foodstuffs), rub one out in the stall, drive yer ass home and hit the hay.

Alternatley, ya can bitch 'n moan like an old bitch about this thing and let it eat you up. Instead I choose to drown my sorrows in gravy and heavenly biscuits. Hell damn yeah! Shit, I'm takin' my ol' wrinkled ass down to the local establishment and order sum grilled chickens and a chocolate cake. Dis stuff tastes so good.

In closing, what is up wit yo' fasinamanation wid the spicy latina known as Ms. Hayek? Can she make heavenly, flaky biscuits; ya know, the kind that have crispy brown edges and soft, gooey, heavenly insides that melt in ya damn mouth? Can she?

Wait, so there's a New England School of Law *AND* a West New England College of Law? Were they not even trying? Was there not a major legal figure to honor, no matter how irrelevant to modern law? (Here's look at you, Kent College of Law). Is there a Blackstone College of Law somewhere? A Coke College of Law (sponsorship = $$)? A Holmes College of Law?

I swear to God, I thought they were the same place. At least they're both shit and I wasn't short-changing anyone.

I thought this school was already covered a couple of weeks ago. Much to my chagrin, I did not realize that there were both a Western New England and a plain New England law school. I guess Northeastern takes the prize for originality in name.

The caliber of students that attend these commodes must be subpar. I know of no graduate of either school that is employed as so much as a staff attorney at a peer law firm. $40K in tuition per year? Times 3 and add $60K for COL? Most of these students have no idea what it is like to have $10K in the bank, much less owe $150K in non-dischargeable student loans. Enjoy the three year reprieve. Once you graduate and realize how worthless that JD is and the student loan invoices start coming around in December, you will realize how terribly screwed your life is. The law school deans and administrators thank you for playing. Come back again for your LL.M.

Urgent Call to Action!September 17, 2010 by Robert Applebaum The Senate version of the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy bill passed a significant hurdle yesterday - it was voted out of subcommittee and now goes to the full committee. While we're still a good way from the finish line with respect to restoring basic fairness to student loans, this is great news. DO NOT LET CONGRESS DROP THE BALL NOW!I was planning on writing sample letters and giving you links to find your representatives and Senators, but the good folks at The Project on Student Debt beat me to it. No sense re-inventing the wheel, therefore, if you do nothing else today, please follow this link to send a clear message to Congress that you support the restoration of fairness to private student loans.Cut and paste link below to Send Letters to Your Senators and Representativeshttp://www.forgivestudentloandebt.com/content/urgent-call-action

Little by little, we're winning the fight to restore sanity to the student lending industry. Let's keep the momentum going!

Unless you're rich (or have wealthy parents willing to front the tuition bill)and not overly bright, I would stay away from this dump. Take Nando's advice. If NESL is the best you can do, I recommend you retake the LSAT. You will thank me later. Just remember what awaits you upon graduation from this craphole - your mother's basement and a shitload of debt that you will not be able to pay off since you will not be able to find legal work or at least legal work that pays a reasonable salary.

Out of an entire 1235 page book, 71 pages are devoted to attorney ads. Keep in mind that these are the firms that can afford to run ads in the Yellow Pages. Also consider that I live in a metro area with a population of about 1.1 million people. How the hell is a recent graduate supposed to compete with these established, experienced attorneys and law firms?!?!

Reputation and name recognition are everything in this field. Will clients flock to those who have established a name for themselves – or will they run to newly-minted lawyers who have learned “legal theory” but precious little experience?!

Furthermore, the large firms have their pick of cases and clients. The ambulance chasers/PI mills are also selective. They have large advertising budgets that will blow a new solo’s ass out of the water. They are able to make large sums of money by cherry-picking the easy cases, i.e. the ones where they are CERTAIN they can reach a quick settlement - without expending too much in time or resources. In fact, these mills ought to run the following verbiage in their ads:

“Do you have a borderline slip and fall case? After looking at the extent of the injuries sustained and the likelihood of reaching a favorable outcome (for ten minutes), we feel that we cannot accept your case at this time. Thank you for consulting with our firm. We wish you the best.”

This makes economic sense. Why would a PI mill take a case where they may need to spend $200K to possibly win a $600K judgment or settlement – where their cut is $210K plus fees? That is a pricey gamble for them – even if they can afford it. Plus, many citizens in this area are very conservative, hate PI lawyers, and are stingy as hell. These firms want the cases that will cost them under $10K to reach a settlement of $75K.

To the apologist cockroaches: this means that the recent lawyer is stuck with these complex borderline cases. How many of these attorneys have the funds to take on these cases, i.e. front fees for expert witnesses; depositions; footwork/track down witnesses; research complex areas such as brain and spine injuries, limited liability, re-insurance, etc.?! Especially consider that this person is largely left to represent piss poor clients AND stingy insurance companies that will fight to the death to keep their payouts low. This is not 1976, people.

Nando, do you know what the average shmuck out of law school is doing for advertising? Craigslist, next to the services for massages. A quick perusal of these craigslist ads reveals multiple violations of the attorney advertising rules. If I had the time I would report these bottom feeding buffoons to my state's attorney ethics office but I would rather they stay in business and handle the pain in the ass clients who tire kick to find the cheapest lawyer around (e.g., $250 for divorces, $500 for alien relative I-130 visa, $500 for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, $100 for per diem court appearances, $75 per will, etc.). Those lawyers are akin to sharks in that they will take care of the toxic drums (aka PITA cheap clients) while the more established firms and practitioners can concentrate on clients that will not low-ball on fees.

Back on February 11, 2007, this poor soul – going by internet handle “<3/LSAT” - asked whether she should attend $uffolk, NE$L or WNEC. This is *the definition* of pathetic.

“So far, I've gotten accepted into three schools in Massachusetts (where I ultimately want to practice). Suffolk (no money), NESL (no money), and Western New England College ($15,000/year). Now, I'm Canadian and getting a bank loan has been hell, so money obviously plays an important part in the decision. However, while I've heard good things about Suffolk's regional reputation and job placement but nothing negative nor positive about NESL and WNEC, I'm not sure if there's a large enough difference in prestige (all tier 4s) to warrant not picking the cheapest one. Which would be WNEC with the scholarship, although I'm not so sure about living in Springfield (although cheaper than Boston). NESL would be next, with its tuition almost $10,000 cheaper than Suffolk. Any thoughts? Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!”

I certainly hope – for the sake of this person – that she did not end up attending any of these three filthy, corroded toilets. David “Piggy” Sargent made $5,173,166 as president and “law professor” at this university, over the course of three years – from 2007-2009. Apparently, they were unable to give this woman any money to alleviate the HEAVY burden of a Suffolk “legal education.”

New England Sewer of Law is a piece of trash. Western New England Commode of Law is likewise a festering waste heap.

In a subsequent comment, she states the following:

“Thanks for your input, Hughes Yes, NESL is a lot cheaper, and so it looks tempting (with Suffolk, assuming I get no scholarships from them, will rack about 150 k in debt ) and I'm sure there are good employment opportunities from NESL as well. I guess I'm just worried because my parents are cosigning my loan and if I don't get a decent-paying job right out of school, well, they might lose their home. So basically I want to increase my chances of securing a good job as much as possible (seeing as I'm not Ivy League material, I don't exactly have the comfort of Harvard to back me up, hah ).

I don't have Biglaw aspirations or anything. I'd be perfectly content working at a small or medium-sized firm as long as the pay is sufficient to both pay off the student debt and not be in the poorhouse at the same time. Wealth/amazing success isn't a prerequisite (nor a goal, although I'd take it if offered, of course). I just want to make law school a good investment and practice law, and have a respectable standard of living.”

People such as this CLEARLY SHOULD NOT attend law school. They are simply filling the coffers of these diploma mills – and ensuring lavish lifestyles for David Sargent and John F. O’Brien.

Law school and "good investment" used in the same sentence is a prime example of an anachronism, especially when you are talking about TT/TTT/TTTT schools.

At least many folks that attend these schools accept that they have no realistic chance at Biglaw, which would not dare waste its time looking down at these schools. Yet I hate to burst these foolish kids' bubble. Midlaw? Smalllaw? No kids, try shitlaw. $150K for shitlaw? Why don't you just give me $100 and I will kick you in the nuts for the same effect as having a worthless JD with insurmountable debt.

You ought to have a look at the Yellow Pages for Nassau and Suffolk counties (Long Island, New York)

In recent memory, I have seen ads for law firms on the inside, on the outside as stick-on sort of postcards, on the damn spline of the book.

Some had pictures of a bunch of lawyers from the firm, with one sporting no less than a derby--yes, a billycock.

And we have all seen the really sleazy commercial on TV (1-800-LAWYERS) with the creep in the leather cowboy hat and the 70's porn 'stache)

The all have their "gimmicks" on order to draw attention and stand out among the multitudes in a disgracefully overcrowded profession.

I'm looking at the 2010-2011 Nassau County, NY Yellow Pages.

The Lawyer ads start conveniently at page 500, and end at page 580.

The back cover carboard cover of the phone book has an fullpage ad on the inside, and one on the outside.

The Outside as I say, or the back of the book is Cellino and Barnes.

The last edition of the same yellow pages, Nassau County for 2008-2009, had the Cellino and Barnes ad stamped on the bottom spline of the book.

In some cases it is really pathetic,and actually funny in a twisted way, because several firms fucked-up.

That is, they all used the very same photographs--such as that of a person on a stretcher being carted away out of an ambulance and supposedly into the Emergency Room of a Hospital.Or the very same photo of a smashed up car)

Then when the next edition came out for 2010-2011, the fuck-ups were corrected.

I would love to share photos as an example.I'm glad I hung onto the old edition of the Yellow pages.

I can scan some samples and send if interested.

Really crazy and funny in a wry sort of way.

But anyway what does one expect in this country:

"America is the only country I know of that has gone from barbarism to decadance with no civilization in between."

At least they were honest about what and who they were, which has to count for something in this world, given all the legal people running around and calling themselves "Honorable""distinguished" "Esteemed" and on and on........

Pace TTT's night program gets the ax. Thank God. Look some asshole at Touro claims that he will never get rid of his night program. Good for you. And your wife gets a break from you while you are busy teaching night classes. Evberyone benefits.

There are also very sleazy Shit-Law Law Firm "Mills" that take up where the schools leave off.

And here on Long Island there are a few such profit driven and anti-social Law Firm "Mills", as anyone past the age of 40 or 50 around here very well knows.

Go into the doors of any such place with a case that might require some work, and that is not clear cut and/or open and shut, and you will be, figuratively speaking.........

... grabbed like a stray dog by the scruff of the neck, and thrown out on the curb.

And the most horrible thing is that they even have their names dedicated on bronze plaques outside of the doors of the classrooms of Hofstra anyway.

Which really turned me off.

But I heard from a pretty good source who heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend, that when Weitz and Luxembourg and/or Siben and Siben showed up with their donation money, the recipient Law School people kind of held their noses and said "Thank You" in a sort of nasally tone.

1. Non-corporate ("shitlaw") clients don't know the difference between the quality of lawyers. If they pick your ad from the yellow pages, internet or direct mailing, and you know how to do a good confident phone close, followed by a good confident office close, you've got them. Think about it. If it was all a matter of reputation and advertising didn't work, would law collectively spend millions of dollars on advertising?2. Since 1 is true, have an appearance of success. Get a virtual voice system (like www.evoice.com for $30/month) and a virtual office (like Regus for $100/month). Your cell phone and coffee table will be your de facto office, but the clients won't know that. 3. Charge a lot of money. Don't undercut established lawyers because you're "not as good". Without making a material misstatement of fact, confidently inform the client that you are a top tier lawyer. Then charge top tier prices. Compete on quality not on price.

This business is all salesmanship. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have spent 4 years as an assistant state's attorney. But then, there are guys wasting decades of their lives in government jobs because the they never learned the game, LOL.

"Located in downtown Boston, New England Law | Boston is an educational community noted for substantive instruction with a strong foundation in ethics. Our highly qualified and accessible faculty is committed to both teaching and scholarship."

Would that "strong foundation in ethics" include charging sub-par TTTT law students $39,910 in annual tuition - so that administrators and "professors" at this dump can rake in more than $200K per year?!?! Toilet dean John F. O’Brien alone made $614,982 in TOTAL COMPENSATION – for 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_School_of_Law

"In 1908, two women from Boston decided to sit for the Massachusetts bar examination. A lawyer named Arthur Winfield MacLean agreed to tutor them, and other students followed over the next few years. MacLean's wife called the school Portia Law School after the heroine of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. From 1908 to 1938, Portia Law School was the sister school to the then all male, Suffolk University Law School. This partnership fostered because MacLean was a law partner with Suffolk founder, Gleason Archer, Sr. MacLean also served as the school's first Dean from 1908-1943."

This school was the sister school to Suffolk. Perhaps that explains why both schools are still smoldering, foul pieces of excrement to this day. We can also see that Arthur Winfield MacLean was the dean at Portia, i.e. NESL, and that his law partner, Gleason Archer, Sr., was the founder of Suffolk Law Sewer.

Suffolk charges $41,100 in tuition for its full-time law students; it is also a third tier commode. NESL charges $39,910 in full-time tuition, and stews in the fourth tier of American law schools.

http://www.bu.edu/law/prospective/apply/jd/finaid/tuition.shtml

In contrast, 22nd-ranked Boston University School of Law charges its full-time students $39,980 in tuition.

Where are all the personal responsibility trolls onthis entry? Toni Braxton files Ch.7 bankruptcy again. She claims to owe more than $10-$50 million in unpaid debts. It is OK to piss away millions and accrue millions in debt, but if you are trying to better yourself through education and you need to take out loans to do so (unless you are a wealthy m.f.), you cannot wipe this 'good debt' away through BK proceedings. How the fuck does this make any sense? Oh yeah, this diva filed previosuly in 1998.

Toni Braxton was an entertainer that gave many hours of joy to the general public. When my ex passed away in 1996, her ballad "Unbreak my heart" helped me cope with my grief. She was beset by personal tragedy. She in my view is entitled to a fresh start.

What the fuck has a pimple faced JD provided in terms of "useful" value to society? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Student loans have been non-dischargeable since 1998. If your ass was too stupid to appreciate this, then you deserve to wear your student loan notes around your neck like a necklace of kryptonite. How dare you compare Ms. Braxton's plight with the stupidity of a law student that decided to go "all in" by attending a TTT law school and play the Biglaw lottery. There are less than 1 percent of lawyers that are wealthy. If you bought the $150K lottery ticket and lost, why should society bail you out? Toni, may God bless you during this difficult time. You are in my prayers and thoughts. As for the TTT grads that are drowning in debt, may the heavy chains of your mistake take you down to the floor of the sea where the pressure will make your guts implode.

But if the truth be known, I think that even credit card debt is non even totally dischargeable.

I remember that not long after Bush was re-elected and took office in 05, the bankruptcy laws for credit cards were changed.

It was all done kind of quietly, and buried in a bill, and I distinctly remember that the late Ted Kennedy had voiced his opposition the loudest. And other democrats whom I can't remember.

But I think the republicans had both houses then. (time goes by so quickly and brings so many changes in politiics)

I don't understand it really, but it was something about credit card bankruptcy not being a chapter 7 or a chapter 11 anymore, but a chapter 13 instead, so that if the person came into money at all at a later date they would still be on the hook.

As I say, I remember listening to news about it on the radio during the day, and the big distractor was another issue that is dead now--the idea of privatiizing Social Security--so the change to the bankruptcy law kind of quietly slipped in.

So what I am getting at is that not even Toni Braxton or any other debtor can just "walk away" from credit card debt or most kinds of debt in this country.

If someone knows more about this, or can correct me, I am curious to learn more.

In simple language that is, because my legal thought process abilitiy has gone stale from long disuse.

I almost went to this TTTTrash of a school. Those jerks only offered $5K so I said screw you and took a $12.5K offer at a TTT school. Not much better yeah, but at least I'm not totally drowning in debt.

Also, how do you get access to those 990 FOrms? I'd be interested to see what my school reports

I don’t care for celebrities, but the emotionally-unhinged commenter at 7:23 pm needs to read this.

http://thatgrapejuice.net/2010/10/toni-braxton-files-bankruptcyagain/

“Braxton — who sold more than 40 million albums in her career — just filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California … and in the docs, the singer claims she’s only worth somewhere between $1 mil and $10 mil … but she could have up to $50 mil in debts. In the docs, 43-year-old Braxton lists a ton of creditors to whom she thinks she may owe money… including:

Braxton also claims she may owe money to the City of L.A. Parking Violations Bureau — and the DMV in both California and Nevada.”

She sold more than 40 million albums in her career, but she owes money to DirecTV, AT&T, Orkin Pest Control, Nevada Power Company, et al. Are you kidding me?!?! Toni, pay your bills!

And I do not care if you have some “emotional connection” to this celebrity - whom you have likely never met. It does not matter that one of her songs comforted you in a time of need and grief - not when it comes to personal responsibility. By most accounts, she had tons of God-given talent, and apparently earned hundreds of millions of dollars in the course of her career. However, she cannot pay her satellite TV, phone or power bills?!?!

Why do you ALWAYS suck up to those with money and power, while condescendingly looking down on everyone else for being human? Presumably, you are not wealthy. Growing up, were you the kid who constantly brown-nosed teachers, school administrators, adults, and authority figures? If that is the case, then you can still grow a spine and some self-esteem - and move on.

For those of you too young to remember, Ed McMahon was the spokesperson for the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes giveaway, and would be featured in TV commercials in the 1980's knocking on the door of the sweepstakes winners house and handing them a huge check.

The winners frequently were in tears, or jumped up and down estatically.

During that time, I was in college, and I actually worked over my winter break for a couple of weeks at Publishers Clearing house in Port Washington, Long Island NY. A lot of the local College kids did, as well as people who were retired and looking for a little extra money.

I worked the night shift, alongside of a few friends. We made about 7 bucks an hour.

It was tedious work.

What we did was open thousands of envelopes by hand. They were sweepstakes entry forms, returned to Publishers Clearing house from people nationwide.

In front of each of us was a six compartment cubby hole "organizer" and it was our job to sort the mail.

For instance: A sweeptakes entry with a magazine subscription order would go into one compartment. An entry with no subscription would go into another.

Sometimes people would write long and very sad letters, sometimes addressed to Ed MacMahon himself--actually thinking somehow that Mr. mcMahon would actually read it.

I remember one letter to this day. It was addressed to Ed. Macmahon, and said something like: "My husband is dead, my son shot in the head. I am losing my home, if only there was hope......

Many years later I reflected on how ironic life really can be.

McMahon ended up dying bankrupt.He made light of the situation as you can see in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl4gh60WJWY

But isn't life ironic. I guess again that that is my point with this story.

If you live long enough you really see some changes.

I had similar reflections when watching the fairly recent movie "Goya's Ghosts" and how what is true today is not tomorrow, and then back again possibly to the old way....you have to see the movie. I thought it was a great, even though it only got 2 stars.

In the same vein, I recall picking up the local newspaper a couple of years ago and seeing a former law school classmates name in the obituaries. I sat right next to him in one class. He had it all. Funny--made everyone laugh. A good student and a good job it seemed later.

I personally met Ms. Braxton many years ago. She is a lovely and down to earth person. Although I don't claim to be her friend, I do have friends that are personally familiar with her life and problems. I bet you didn't know that Ms. Braxton has a soft spot for her family and friends and that was her financial downfall. She tried helping too many people by taking the shirt of her back until she couldn't pay her own bills. Did the law grads and students you champion over ever help anyone else but themselves? I doubt it. The point here is that you don't know the facts about Ms. Braxton. She had to fight cancer and overcome many personal tragedies that wiped out her wealth. We are not talking about someone who was maintaining an entourage and drove a bugatti veyron. Why would you compare her to a law student who is only trying to get ahead by thinking that a JD is a shortcut to a life of prestige and riches? Apples and oranges, Nando. Toni deserves a fresh start, student loan-laden pimple faced JDs do not. And I am glad Congress agrees with me.

With respect to Ed McMahon: RIP. He was one of the hardest working men in show business. For many of you pimple faced kids out there, Ed McMahon used to be the host of Star Search which was the show American Idol ripped off. He used to be the sidekick of Johnny Carson, the best host of the Tonight Show ever (that asshat Jay Leno couldn't even shine Johnny's shoes). Mr. McMahon died broke because, God bless his heart, he married what many media outlets have labelled, a gold-digger who led him to financial ruin.

Toni Michelle Braxton is also a walking financial disaster. She was beautiful and had tons of talent, but yet she has declared bankruptcy twice, i.e. she ALREADY had a fresh start, idiot. Hopefully, no wealthy old men are taken in by her charm.

Also, there are PLENTY of college graduates who have battled cancer and have others leeching off their hard work. I personally know medical students and dental students who have raised autistic children. Does this help them in bankruptcy proceedings – with regards to their student loans?

Do you see the BLATANT IDIOCY of your ramblings? You are saying it is okay for wealthy celebrities such as Braxton and McMahon to declare bankruptcy because they “worked hard” and “helped people.” It is YOU who does not know the full story. Plenty of JDs of modest means help others, whether it is as a member of VITA, legal aid societies, clinical programs aimed at helping poverty-level clients, etc. There are plenty of lawyers and law students who engage in charity work; you simply do not hear about it because they are not high-profile people, meaning that their good deeds are not covered by E! or People magazine.

Now, could you please pull your head out of Ed McMahon’s detritus-covered ass - for one second – and answer me this: why should someone who amassed a FORTUNE be permitted to accumulate $10 million - $50 million in outstanding debt? (Along this vein, why should those of modest means, i.e. most taxpayers, absorb the cost of reckless/irresponsible spending – and stupid business decisions - of corporate executives? Are you going to repeat your “They are too big to fail” meme?)

In fact, these spendthrift celebrities truly are unsympathetic figures. How the hell does an individual person pile up $50 million in debt?!?! That is enough money for 20 lifetimes. And you want me to have some sympathy for such addicts?! Are you not the same tool who was casting stones at a debt-soaked JD for being dependent on alcohol, in another thread?

Lastly, who cares if you met Toni Braxton? (If you noticed, I said “whom you have likely not met,” in my prior comment. Did that strike you as saying, “You have never met this person”?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Braxton

I can see where this woman has raised an autistic child. She is apparently a spokesperson for Autism Speaks, as well as the American Heart Association. She is fortunate that her celebrity allows her to do so. She is also lucky that the bankruptcy code allows her to get a fresh start – and then another one.

For a “down to earth person,” she certainly has some expensive tastes, i.e. Neiman Marcus, The Four Seasons Hotels, Tiffany & Co., BMW Financial Services, The Westin, etc.

Come back and defend Braxton, if you would like me to backhand you some more.

What amazes me is that the ABA is not addressing the issue of students graduating with crushing student debt and no jobs. They just sit back and watch as more and more students from 3rd and 4th tier law schools file for bankruptcy.

Something has to be done about the legal education industry. It needs a massive reform and more strict guidelines.

In California, its bad enough we have the cesspool of "CBA" approved law schools approved by the state.

They need to do away with a good 50% of all US law schools around the country

I agree with what the prior poster stated about marriage. I have told both of my sons that if they ever get married to get the following from their prospective brides before exchanging vows(please feel free to take my advice, you will thank me later):

1) Credit reports from Experian, Transunion, Equifax and Novis.

2) Federal and State Income Tax returns (with all schedules attached--MFTRA-X transcripts will do in a pinch) for the past 7 years.

3) Bank statements for all accounts for last 2 years.

4) W-2 forms and 1099s for past 3 years (paychecks are easy to falsify).

8) Last but not least, get them to commit to signing a pre-nup and get a lawyer who specializes in pre-nups (this is not the time to be cheap so don't go with the lawyer that copies and pastes from the Blumeberg forms).

If you do what I suggested, you will avoid a disaster waiting to happen.

As for marrying a law grad with $150K in debt, I would shy away from that person but if you must marry that person (just like that person HAD to become a lawyer) make sure you don't co-sign any student loans and do not have any joint property (bank accounts, homes, cars, etc.). Oh, and file separate tax returns too.

Congratulations on knowing, innately somehow, the underlying motivations as well as financial/socioeconomic backgrounds of those seeking JD's from non-elite schools such that they deserve such an ill fate.

"What amazes me is that the ABA is not addressing the issue of students graduating with crushing student debt and no jobs. They just sit back and watch as more and more students from 3rd and 4th tier law schools file for bankruptcy."+++++++++++++

One problem "paralegal without a paycheck"....student loan debt is NOT DICHARGEABLE IN BANKRUPTCY...absent "undue hardship"....a very high standard to meet....so filing for bankruptcy isn't going do anything for these students...unless they are hit by a bus and in a coma!!

I can feel sympathy for families who get into debt as the result of trying to pay for the basic necessities in their lives. For someone like this, who earns millions of dollars, I have none. It's not rocket science: If you've earned $10 million, you can't spend $11 million -- I don't care how much you wanted whatever it was you bought. Going bankrupt twice in less than 12 years with her level of earnings shows incredible fiscal mismanagement. On top of that, taking goods or services that you can't pay for and then tossing up a "whoops, my bad" and "here's your Chapter 7 $.40 on the dollar share of my liquidated assets" is just flat out dishonest behavior.

First of all, yesterday's ...2:PM had a pre-marriage checklist? I'm curious. What was in it?

And as far as Ed McMahon goes: I was just trying to show by means of an antecdotal tale, how he was peceived as being such a big sweepstakes spokesperson and successful big benefactor in so many poor peoples minds, and ended up in debt in spite of himself. Hence the irony on a very simplistic level, and purely philosophical. With mostly the pure art of storytelling in mind, and without much politics intended.

What the hell, maybe he really had big bags of Gold coins stashed away somewhere? Who knows?

As far as 9:51 goes, I cannot help feeling from her writings that she is actually quite lovely, in spite of her rather subjective views, which I cannot entirely disagree with, having a great appreciation for females--especially ones that can sing quite beautifully-- such as Ms. Braxton.

I cannot agree with all of her arguments, but still....

But anyway, I have a million such little antectdotal storys, (it is a by-product of age)

And all of you out there will too.

And if my good publisher and editor, Nando, and his modern day magazine/blog, is interested, I can send them here and there.

The main thing when writing a story is to keep the audience asking: What happens next?And to keep it simple--even when the audience is as ponderously high strung and complicated as this..

Geez....

Signing off....

Painter Guy.

PS.

For all of you that can tomorrow morning (Saturday) ..sleep well and late if you can.

Snuggle up with the dogs and cats, and let the world take care of itself while you gather your strength for another week, and more opportunities to solve the world's problems--especially the ones that have caused you and me and others to visit our Fearless Leader's (Nando's) blog.

I don't know why I bother. Nando, if you have a problem with Toni Braxton getting a second Chapter 7 discharge in 13 years, talk to your Senators and urge them to repeal the bankruptcy code. I am sure the creditor lobby and Chucky Grassley will get behind you for your efforts.

Why do you have to come down on the sister for exercising her legal rights? I believe it was Biggie Smalls aka Christoper Wallace that said "more money, more problems." Ms. Braxton may have made millions but financial mismanagement is not an exclusive malaise of the poor. Shopping at Neiman Marcus is blase and driving a beamer is too. She wasn't driving a Ferrari or shopping at Bernini's on Rodeo Drive. And Tiffany's? Please that is the poor man's version of Cartier. Braxton wasn't living that large.

When people file bankruptcy on credit cards, who pays? Other assholes that have credit cards. The banks stick it to the existing credit card holders, not the taxpayer. Since I don't believe in or use credit cards, Ms. Braxton's discharge of credit cards won't affect me. What will affect me is if the govt. decides to bail out students on their educational loans. Why? Because these are backed by our government, which is why they are nondischargeable.

Why am I hard on TTT grads? It may have something to do with a taxpayer potentially paying for a prick's decision to borrow $150K to obtain a junk car (i.e., a TTT JD).

Why are you shitting on a dead man (Ed McMahon)? Ed was a dear sweet old man. He brought joy to the masses with his "HiYOo." Unfortunately he married someone who took him to the poorhouse. It could happen to anyone, heck it could happen to a layperson that marries a TTT grad with $150K in student loan debt. I don't care if celebs go bankrupt. The banks get fucked and they will stick it to the customer, not the taxpayer. See the difference Nando?

It is obvious that proposing a student loan bailout will get little support from many if not most taxpayers.

Which leads me to ask if there could be another possible source for the bailout money or funds.

In the Insurance Industry, there is something called a "Guarantee Fund"

It is a pool of money that is paid or contributed into by all of the Insurance Companies doing business in a particular state.

The fund is intended to be there in case one or more Insurance company's go out of business and has to be "bailed out"

So I was thinking, why not set up a similar fund for student debtors?

It wouldn't involve taxpayer dollars at all, and would be paid into by: The Universities, the banks, and other relevant entitys such as.....I'm not sure.... maybe other working professionals in the ABA...

But if a former student later becomes indebted and can later show documented good faith in seeking employment, and the requisite financial hardship, the bailout money will be there.

Just an idea.

But to 11:55here is a question that I keep asking.

Let us assume that you are 100% correct about everything you have said, and in the meantime a student debtor Graduates today with $150 thousand in debt.

That borrower, exercising his free will, then goes on to lead a clearly decadent and slipshod life for the next five years--defferring and defaulting and now,five years later that debt has rapidly grown to 225 thousand or more.

As I understand it, the extra 75 thousand is taken from you the taxpayer and put into the pocket of Al Lord, so to speak, as instant cash.

So "Al Lord" or in reality the bank, is waiting and hoping for, and encouraging as many defaulters as possible, again because of the easy and ready taxpayer money to be made.

Does that seem right to you?

But even if the middleman (Al Lord) is cut out of the picture, the extra 75 thousand will still be collected from you, only it will be the federal government taking a second bite.

Correct me if I am wrong above on how all this basically works, but that seems to be the way it was explained on a popular flowchart I saw recently.

All the while the debtor is still on the hook for money he or she will never be able to pay off.

I like BL1y's description of law school as a professor owned co-op. Law school tuition has been growing at twice the rate of inflation. These schools get to enjoy non-profit status, and unlike most businesses they can actually ask for donations. Why would a Suffolk Law grad that pays 40K a year for a third rate law degree donate money to a school that pays their dean $5,000,000+ over a three year period? The law school has a section encouraging you to include them in your will? It is crazy.

If your earlier post was deleted, it was not due to me. Sometimes, Blogger will not accept comments that are too long. Perhaps, you briefly lost your internet connection. I did not ever have the chance to look over your “pre-marriage checklist.” Presumably, it contained a section on avoiding marrying irresponsible spendthrifts such as the afore-mentioned Toni Braxton. Pay your bills, Toni. Quit asking for a bailout and yet ANOTHER fresh start. Take some personal responsibility for your (reckless) actions.

Also, I notice that some other comments are missing, including one from a reader who asked how I was able to access TTT and TTTT IRS Form 990 information. To that person, I have a Guidestar account. Have fun looking up your law school’s info - and make sure to share it with others.

@5:59,

Perhaps, Paralegal Without a Paycheck was referring to the fact that many college grads do end up filing bankruptcy on medical bills and other obligations - largely as a result of being strapped down with tons of NON-DISCHARGEABLE student loan debt.

To 11:55,

Was Ed McMahon, a fully grown man with plenty of life experience, more deserving of bankruptcy protections than a 22 year-old kid who gets accepted into law school? Furthermore, should an idiot who pisses away MILLION$ be forgiven for accumulating a mountain of debt? Anyway, now that he is wearing a wooden coat, he no longer needs to worry about his financial difficulties.

In the last analysis, it is beyond pathetic that you always defend the rich and powerful, but look down on those of modest means. Did you spend a lot of time sucking up to adults and authority figures as a child?

If “Biggie Smalls” did in fact say that “more money, more problems,” then I don’t feel sorry that he got a bullet in his ass.

So what if these celebrities have tons of leeches trying to bleed them dry? They need to grow a pair and stop supporting their posse of freeloaders. Should we have a food drive - and hand out blankets - so these wasteful idiots can make it?

“Why am I hard on TTT grads? It may have something to do with a taxpayer potentially paying for a prick's decision to borrow $150K to obtain a junk car (i.e., a TTT JD).”

And, yet you - in line with your character - excuse the role of law school administrators, “professors” and banks - in this scheme. These $elfi$h pigs KNOW that they are pumping out far too many JDs for the available job market. Yet, they continue to pump out too many graduates. Where is your condemnation for these cockroaches?!

You seem to be naive to think that the lending industry and educational industrial complex will subsidize such an "insurance superfund" for defaulting pools of student loans. If such a fund is proposed who will fund it? The students themselves, including those that will not default on the loans. It is sort of like PMI (primary mortgage insurance) which was the ultimate scam of home lending back in the 1980s through early 2000s. Basically, the homeowner paid an insurance premium on PMI that protected, get this, the BANK, not the homeowner in case of a default. Yes you read that right. You paid for a policy that insured the bank, not you. PMI was done away mostly by "piggy back" HELOC loans that would but the the homeowner outside the 80/20 leverage requirement for PMI.

So basically the system you advocate would tack on more surcharges on student loans making them even more expensive than what they are now. Here is my solution: 1) Government needs to stop backing student loans at profit proprietary schools and TTT/TTTTs. 2) The ABA needs to require transparency (independent account auditing of employment stats) paid for by the schools themselves. God knows the have the money to do this. If a school falls below say 70% of employment (legitimate employment too, not bullshit stockroom gig, temp work or teaching/research assisting gigs) the lose ABA accreditation. Also if schools are found to fudge with the numbers, automatic ABA de-accreditation. I mean fuck if a lawyer plays with his trust accounts, he gets disbarred. This will cut the amount of law schools, I suspect, by half. We need less law schools, not more.

Naive maybe. But there has to be an alternative plan to what is in place now, and the more ideas that are thrown out there, the better.

Your solution sounds good, but #2 re: "Independent" oversight (which comes up in so many contexts) seems hopeful in the face of all of the corruption that exists already.

And where are the independents--people that can't be bought off- supposed to be recruited from?

Maybe the most basic solution is just for less people to enroll in lower tier schools.

If the word is out and is actually communicated to a prospective student, their common sense should take over and steer them away from the legal profession, at least until the Yellow pages become a little thinner.

2) File separate tax returns. This will make it easier to assert innocent spouse relief later on when your hubby or wifey decides to play three card monte with the IRS.

Folks if you follow the aforementioned rules, you will thank me later. I guarantee compliance with these rules will save more lives than this site will from students that will blindly continue to go to law school for a shitty future.

am re-posting my pre-marriage checklist. I write this having been married three times myself (I will never ever marry again). Marriage is an expensive proposition. Tell me where else can you pay for the privilege of seeing your wife getting paid to fuck other men while you get sodomized in the rectum--and you have to pay for that privilege as well? Yes you guessed correctly: Divorce Court. Divorce is the ultimate punishment where you get penalized for being in love and then falling out of love.

As an earlier poster stated, marriage is akin to a business contract/transaction. I have two sons and I have told them that if they get married, they have to prove to me that they complied with my pre-marriage checklist; otherwise, they are written out of my will. Here is my checklist. No waiver of any requirement is allowed.

1) Obtain your prosepective fiance's credit reports. Get all four from Transunion, Equifax, Experian and Novis. You must be present the moment the reports are accessed (I prefer the online method). If the credit score (on any report) is below 827, break it off and abandon the idea of marriage immediately.

2) Make sure your "sweetie" gives you copies of the last 7 years of federal and state income tax returns with ALL schedules. Personally, I prefer the MFTRA-X transcript which a CPA can decipher quickly and the MFTRA-X transcript can be obtained quickly in a pinch. If your "sweetie" owes the IRS money or has investment property or a business that is producing $0 income or operates at a loss, dump the loser immediately and don't look back.

3) Get your soon to be anchor's W-2s and 1099s for the past 2 years. Based on all the fraud I have seen, it is easy to falsify paystubs. It was done all the time by dishwashers that were submitting paychecks claiming to make $200K a year in order to qualify for a Jumbo mortgage loan to purchase a stucco built mcmansion. If your soon to be spouse makes under $50K in a non-metro or less than $75K in a metro area, put on those wools socks and get the fuck out of dodge because that is cold feet you are feeling.

4) Get a Charles Jones search on your soon to be "better half." Charles Jones searches can track domestic and global records for judgments, liens and other encumbrances against your soon to be "love of your life."

5) Contact the FTC and SEC and obtain a name clearance on your soon to be "soulmate." You will need a DOB and SSN.

6) Go to a passport picture place and get a fingerprint card. Have your soon to be spouse put her prints on the card and send said card with a $18.00 money order to the following address:

7) Get him/her to get a full medical check-up with an authorized release for the results.

8) Ensure your soon to be "lifetime lover" will commit to signing a pre-nup agreement. Go to the most well-known matrimonial attorney and pay top dollar for the iron clad agreement. This is not the time to be cheap by going to a TTT lawyer that will just copy and paste the pre-nup from a Blumeberg pro forma document. Those copy and paste jobs are routinely invalidated by the courts. Make sure your fiance hires (or you pay for his/her lawyer) a top notch lawyer that will sign off on the agreement.

9) Lastly, do not marry anyone that has more than $85K in student loan debt (painter guy is disqualified). Do not co-sign any student loans or any kind of loans.

am re-posting my pre-marriage checklist. I write this having been married three times myself (I will never ever marry again). Marriage is an expensive proposition. Tell me where else can you pay for the privilege of seeing your wife getting paid to fuck other men while you get sodomized in the rectum--and you have to pay for that privilege as well? Yes you guessed correctly: Divorce Court. Divorce is the ultimate punishment where you get penalized for being in love and then falling out of love.

As an earlier poster stated, marriage is akin to a business contract/transaction. I have two sons and I have told them that if they get married, they have to prove to me that they complied with my pre-marriage checklist; otherwise, they are written out of my will. Here is my checklist. No waiver of any requirement is allowed.

1) Obtain your prosepective fiance's credit reports. Get all four from Transunion, Equifax, Experian and Novis. You must be present the moment the reports are accessed (I prefer the online method). If the credit score (on any report) is below 827, break it off and abandon the idea of marriage immediately.

2) Make sure your "sweetie" gives you copies of the last 7 years of federal and state income tax returns with ALL schedules. Personally, I prefer the MFTRA-X transcript which a CPA can decipher quickly and the MFTRA-X transcript can be obtained quickly in a pinch. If your "sweetie" owes the IRS money or has investment property or a business that is producing $0 income or operates at a loss, dump the loser immediately and don't look back.

3) Get your soon to be anchor's W-2s and 1099s for the past 2 years. Based on all the fraud I have seen, it is easy to falsify paystubs. It was done all the time by dishwashers that were submitting paychecks claiming to make $200K a year in order to qualify for a Jumbo mortgage loan to purchase a stucco built mcmansion. If your soon to be spouse makes under $50K in a non-metro or less than $75K in a metro area, put on those wools socks and get the fuck out of dodge because that is cold feet you are feeling.

4) Get a Charles Jones search on your soon to be "better half." Charles Jones searches can track domestic and global records for judgments, liens and other encumbrances against your soon to be "love of your life."

5) Contact the FTC and SEC and obtain a name clearance on your soon to be "soulmate." You will need a DOB and SSN.

7) Get him/her to get a full medical check-up with an authorized release for the results.

8) Ensure your soon to be "lifetime lover" will commit to signing a pre-nup agreement. Go to the most well-known matrimonial attorney and pay top dollar for the iron clad agreement. This is not the time to be cheap by going to a TTT lawyer that will just copy and paste the pre-nup from a Blumeberg pro forma document. Those copy and paste jobs are routinely invalidated by the courts. Make sure your fiance hires (or you pay for his/her lawyer) a top notch lawyer that will sign off on the agreement.

9) Lastly, do not marry anyone that has more than $85K in student loan debt (painter guy is disqualified). Do not co-sign any student loans or any kind of loans

Nando's site is brutal, harsh and provides a stinging analysis of this shitty industry, but you talk about jaded.

The last four comments provide some insight into a blackened soul. I'm sorry that you paid your ex-wives to ‘fuck other men while you got sodomized in the rectum.’ That must be tough. BTW, How well do you think a woman or man would respond to such demands? While this is actually good advice, it is unusual for rhose not applying to jobs req. national security clearance. Why not mention having them submit hair and saliva samples. Have fun wallowing (sic?) in your misery.

The difference between marriage and a job requiring security clearance is that you can walk away from the latter without having to pay alimony or sign over 50% of your net worth. I would think you need a higher standard of scrutiny on your prospective mate before you enter that "lifetime" committment rather than an at-will employment opportunity.

Blackened soul? Sure you get no dispute there. Try having a cheery disposition after getting raped in divorce court 3 times. But you know something? Money comes and goes. Today I am a free man, self-made over 4 times. I am too old to work like a mule to be self-made a 5th time which is why I will never ever marry again.

My tenor may be miserable but I can assure you I have my moments. I fly to Thailand, Brazil, St. Petersburg, Russia and fuck the hottest women in the world. I can assure you, my junkets cost a small fraction of what I have paid through divorce. Marriage is for morons who are ingrained from the cradle to settle down. Sure having children is great and I don't regret it. However, my eyes are open and I want my sons to have fun and experience the world, not settle for some harlot who will take them to the cleaners. I think my checklist will help avoid mistakes in the spouse selection sweepstakes.

A Standing Ovation to you and a deafening "Bravo" or "Brava" for a full 20 minutes at least.

But your audience in the hall (that I fancifully speak of) is an older one than 1:02, who, having not lived long enough, simply can't understand jaded and snap-crackle-pop half-crazy and divorced and drunk in middle age people.

People that are basically lost and asking-where do we go from here? "Lost in a haze of alcohol soft middle-age." (Roger Waters)

I was divorced once, mostly because of student debt--- and it still comes back to haunt me in the waking wee hours of the morning. It is so traumatic, that I cannot imagine ever getting married again.

The current day educational "system" in America is directly counter and repugnant to the very basic ideas that we all took for granted in a fragile and trusting youth.

Those ideas were: "Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

OK we have the first one. Life.

We are alive, and not being exterminated in death camps.

But as for the second--are we, as ripped-off debtors, really free and experienceing "Liberty?"

As for the third--the pursuit of "Happiness" I rally don;t know. It has to somehow include the idea of romantic Love and wanting to take on a trusted soul-mate for life--whatever sexual orientation a person has.

Well, maybe Truman Capote and the Founding Fathers were all a bunch of silly sentimental fools.

As in this clip, there is a belief out there somewhere in America that people do belong to each other.

What better way to break people up than by debt?By student loans.What better way to break up the pursuit of happiness?

Which leads me to ask in some of my darkest moods---Is the Student Loan phenomena intentional? Actually intended to break up the pursuit of happiness and basic human bonds?

Intended to destroy the very foundations of American Ideals?

Surely, the phantom banking influence that is somehow attacking and destroying so many simple citizens of America from without and from within--from post-adolescence to the grave--is not that diabolical.

But then again, as Cryn Johanssen asks:

"Why does this person owe so much money?"

And the question is asked over, and over, and over, and over and over........

Bankruptcy attorney here, to the above poster asserting credit card dischargeability has changed - for the most part virtually all credit card (unsecured) debt is dischargeable. BAPCPA didn't really change that - the biggest thing it did was add a "means test" requirement to filing. It's a mathematical formula based on your past six months of income less the local IRS standard expenses for your district. If you are under the median income in your district - you generally qualify for Chapter 7. If "over-median," you run through the formula and come up with a disposable income amount that you are required to pay back in Chapter 13.

It's VERY easy to manipulate your income to qualify for a discharge.

I really hope the student loan bill passes, but I don't see it ever happening.

I agree with the pre-marriage list my friend, but I think your real problem is that you married all mercenaries. If you're rich - keep your mouth shut about your trust fund and three Ferraris until you get to know the broad.

im all for the marriage checklist, but when I noticed my sweetie had a body like Tony Braxton and could do things with her vagina muscle, I waa glad I went to law school and the potential to make some money because for most of us, that is what it costs to live.

What happens after marriage we cant control, but we go to law school so we can increase the odds we dont marry or reproduce with a fat pig.

Everything that makes us feel better in a multitude of ways costs money. Sometimes we make bad choices that dont make sense whether its a 4th tier law school or a Tony Braxton that forgets what sex is after marriage or spends us into ruin.

The next time you call someone a douche, take a long look in the mirror. If you attended a fourth-rate, fourth tier piece of garbage such as the one profiled on this blog entry, then you are the loser. This is the case, even if mommy and daddy paid your entire tuition and living expenses – as you apparently couldn’t get into a better school than this.

This blog is devoted to informing prospective students about the dangers inherent in obtaining a “legal education” in this country, idiot. Apparently, you have a problem with that. You are not alone; plenty of people cannot accept reality. Perhaps, you want everyone to tell you that you made a wise decision by attending a TTTT. Well, I am not here to rub your genitals and tell you that “everything is going to be okay.” This is CLEARLY not the case. The sooner you realize this, the better off you will be.

Would you prefer if no one said anything negative about law school? Would that make you feel better, dumbass?! Would seeing MORE people drowning in NON-DISCHARGEABLE student debt make you happy?!?!

http://nalp.org/uploads/NatlSummaryChartClassof09.pdf

There were 44,000 members of the JD Class of 2009 – competing for 28,901 jobs requiring bar passage, i.e. not all of these openings were traditional attorney positions. Can your little brain comprehend the gravity of the situation? Yeah, there just *might* be a glut of attorneys out there.

“An American Bar Association committee has recommended that the ABA consider accrediting law schools outside the United States, according to a story in Am Law Daily sibling publication The National Law Journal.

The committee--composed of law professors, attorneys, judges, and law school deans--distributed its report to state supreme court justices, ABA leaders, and top law school administrators last week, the NLJ reports.”

As if there were not enough American law schools, an ABA committee is now recommending that the ABA consider accrediting foreign law schools. See how this will benefit a TTTT grad with $130K in student debt. You are welcome for the free lesson in logic.

I attended NESL for 1L year in 04, tuition was 22k a year, it's definitely overpriced at 40k for a fourth tier school. Monserud and Greenberg are actually excellent professors. Monserud is hands down one of the best professors I ever had and will go out of his way to ensure that students understand the material. He actually deserves his salary which is more than I can say for O'Brien or career services.

John graduates from the bottom of TTTT but has great enthusiasm. He does what he must to pay the bills and also teaches himself the rules of civil procedure, reads deposition and trial transcripts, PACERs briefs and opinions, watches trials and reads CLEs on substantive law. He takes on PI cases, associates with experienced counsel and, in time, regularly gets verdicts and settlements in the $100,000 range. John then uses his foundation in civil litigation to learn business litigation. Small businesses (less than $5 million in revenue) won’t use big law firms. John represents small and medium businesses and now gets verdicts and settlements in the million dollar range. Over time, John gets bigger and bigger clients and cases. Twenty years later, John and his partners, while not Quinn Emmanuel, are a wealthy and respected civil litigation firm.

Mike graduates in the same situation as John but Mike has a negative attitude. Mike reads scamblogs all day. He doesn’t try to teach himself how to be a good litigator because BigLaw won’t take him so why bother. He doesn’t take PI cases because they are “shitlaw”. Mike finally gets a job but has no enthusiasm for the cases because they are only “shitlaw” and won’t take him anywhere. He doesn’t seem to get that the state and federal rules of civil procedures are the same in both shitlaw and biglaw. He also doesn’t get that biglaw associates and partners often take shitlaw cases in order to practice questioning in front of a jury; but when big firms do it, it is called “pro bono”. Mike thinks that because he went a TTTT he can never be a good lawyer, and is easily intimidated. Twenty years later, Mike is a washed out and bitter failure.

A lawyer is not a butler who will impress you with a fine pedigree. A lawyer is a combat athlete who fights in the ring. Have you ever seen a master litigator in briefing, deposition or trial? The skill of a lawyer determines the outcome of a case and has little to do with paper credentials.

My experience has been that TTT are not dreamers. Quite the opposite actually:they get comfortable doing their little area of law and don’t care to try to move into more challenging practice areas, even though many could aqcuire the skills to do so.

Yes, and best of luck to all seeing those clients in your parents' basement.

Also, you might advise these youngsters to make sure that malpractice coverage is in place (especially for these more "challenging areas", not cheap, I might add) especially after the complaints start rolling in, as we all know law school doesn't teach one how to practice law.

You paint an overly-rosy and unrealistically simplistic worldview in this vicious profession.

What geographical area are you in, and what areas specifically of the law do you refer to that you have mastered?

I attend this piece of shit. And I can call it that it that if I want. Most of you know probably nothing about this school. However, you should get your facts straight because we have an extremely high bar passage rate and many of the graduates have done extremely well for themselves. Graduating at the bottom of your class at Harvard Law is no different that graduating at the bottom of any law school class. I agree that law schools are out to rip you off and take your money in an unsteady job market and do promise things that they cannot hope to deliver; however, you should get all of you facts straight before you go on your ridiculous and childish rant complaining about a school that is no different than many others.

Hello John/Anonymous. This blog had received one comment between November 2, 2010 and March 20, 2011. However, you want people to believe that two different people posted on this toilet - within four minutes?!?!

Have some balls and admit that you are responsible for both the March 24, 2011 comments at 11:27 am and 11:31 am.

By the way, it seems that a person who graduates at the bottom of his class at Harvard will land a job sooner than the bottom half of those stuck at the New England $chool of Law. Remember, law is all about "prestige." His diploma still says Harvard on it, while yours was issued by a true diploma mill/stench pile. Who will employers go with, in that scenario?

Imagine the horror, upon realizing that Harvard JDs come out owing a mere $6,656 more in law school student loans, than their NESL counterparts.

You know one recent graduate of this dung pit who is now allegedly making $90K per year?!?! Wow! That settles it, right, Bitch?!?! That means that this school is phenomenal!

I suppose that I could change the profile picture to one showing your mother and girlfriend blowing ten different men in a circle. However, this article pertains to the FOURTH TIER New England Sewer of Law, cockroach.

On May 1, 2012, Derek Tokaz - author of BL1Y and Constitutional Daily - posted an article labeled "Employment Scores: The Fracked Fifteen." Surprisingly, this pussy did not list NESL among the fifteen trash pits. However, he did provide this nugget:

"There are another 5 schools that comprise a list of dishonorable mention. Their Employment Score is lower than their combined Under-Employment Score and unknown employment status rates. They are: California Western School of Law, Texas Wesleyan, New England School of Law, Liberty University, Capital University."

Do you get the feeling that Nando either applied to NE Law and was rejected or flunked out? It's obvious from his "command" of the English language that he/she will never be an attorney. However, an anger management course may be in order!

I don't want to get into debate, but sometimes those reported professor salaries include 401k, benefits, and other types of non-monetary compensation. At any rate, if Teich makes around a quarter-mill a year, I applaud him for taking the bus and subway everyday (I often run into him on the T) 'cause I definitely would be leasing a nice parking spot with that money!

I guess I don't understand the point of these type blogs.... I do understand we are about to see a bubble burst in terms of financing education, but I don't see how disharmony, inflammatory comments, and putting people down will help the situation at all.

It's just another form of social Darwinism/ evolution that we are experiencing. Some of us go to Harvard (not me! haha) and don't have to worry as much, some of us go to New England Law and we either figure it out and end up happy, or don't, and we need to find a different way. No need for crazy blogs. Besides, who says that Harvard or Yale grads end up happier? I mean what about Ivy suicides? That definitely doesn't happen at a school like New England.

Ups and downs and doing the best with what you got... that pretty much sounds like what life is like for everyone, and it sounds like what life was like for generations before. It is always what you make of it. I'm bummed out to see my peers resort to such negativism. I've seen people do a lot more with a lot less education and a lot less money, with an oppressive government and with a smile on their face. Maybe the issue is having too much, so we expect so much?

Either way, I realize this post isn't completely "fact-based" and relies more on feelings, but it is a shame to waste time on anger, when you're probably taking years off your own life, and not hurting anyone else. I read on your bio that you are employed? That's great! I really believe that a truly happy person finds happiness where ever they work, live, and go. A negative person will always breed negativity, whether they get in to a great law school and becomes a successful lawyer, or they don't.

I am proud of being a student at my law school. I don't have to envy anyone, and I don't have to degrade any either. It is a great place to be :)

I never even considered New England Sewer of Law. However, the commode did send me a solicitation in the mail. Yes, that is the hallmark of a great institution, right?!?! By the way, I graduated from law school in 2009.

Since your IQ is only in the mid 70s, I suppose that you would have trouble making the connection that clear, concise, descriptive language shows a great command. Unlike attorneys, politicians, judges and "law professors," I don't intentionally cloud the issue - or deliberately slaughter the English language. Go back to your coloring book, pussy.

Objective

This blog is maintained by a graduate of a third tier law school. My goal is to educate prospective law students about the perils of obtaining a legal education. There are many pitfalls - the debt load, the oversupply of lawyers, the fact that there are not enough legal jobs to satisfy nearly 45,000 annual law graduates, and the reality that the majority of law school graduates will end up with low-paying jobs upon completion of their "legal studies."